Wheel-mounted drum filling assembly



Sept. 23, 1952 A. A. AINES WHEEL-MOUNTED DRUM FILLING ASSEMBLY Filed March 28, 1949 Patented Sept. 23, 1952 OFFICE WHEEL-MOUNTED DRUM FILL NG ASSEMBLY Andrew A. Aines, United States Army Application March 28, 1949, SerialNo. 83,963 V Claims. (01. 226-93) (Granted, under the act of March 3, 1883, as

7 amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention disclosed herein, if patented, maybe manufactured by or for the Government for. governmental purposes without the payment to meof any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to apparatus for filling gasoline and oil;drums or cans, and similar'receptacles having filling openings in the top.

The fillingof drums or cans according to present Army practice is time-consuming and inordi-' nately wasteful of labor. The principal object of the'invention is to provide apparatus which will save labor and time, so that a couple of men may quickly and easily fill a large number of cans or drums if properly lined up for the filling. operation. Other objects will be pointed out or may be inferred from the following description of an embodiment ofthe invention now .preferred for certain filling conditions.

.In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is an elevationof a wheel mounted drum fillingassembly;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation 'on an enlarged scale showing the filling assembly in upper position; a

Fig. 4 is a--view like Fig. =3 but showing the filling assembly in lowered or, drum filling position, a part of one drum being shown.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the apparatus comprises generally a hose H] which is connected with a source of gasoline or a other fluid (not shown), a fitting 'l I on the end' of the hose and having a hand-operated valve l2, a header 13 screwed to the fitting, nozzles l4 fixed to and projecting downwardly from the header, and wheels I5 by which the header and attached parts are supported so as to travel over straight rows of cans or drums l6. Header I3 is preferably a straight pipe section to which the nozzles areremovably secured as by screw threads. The valve 1 2- is preferably normally closed by a spring H 'and serves as the main valve of the filling apparatus, preventing any flowthrough the header l3 except when the valve handle I8 is depressed. The fitting ll, header l 3, and nozzles l 4 comprisean"assembly whichi's' 'best made principally of magnesium or other light metal alloy. A

screw cap l9 closes and seals the end of header l3 which is remote from fitting II, and a handle 20, on the header adjacent the screw cap, provides a handhold for an operator at one end of the assembly. The filling nozzles are of the type which automatically cuts off how when the level of the liquid being poured into a drum reaches the nozzle; as this type of nozzle is no part of my invention and is well known, the nozzles are shown diagrammatically. Preferably the discharge ends of the nozzles are flexible and may be made of neoprene? or other suitable plastic. To aid in pulling the apparatus along a floor or,,- pavement, a pair of poles or shafts 22 are each seoured'at one end to the header and project therefrom at right angles, permitting steering as wellas pulling or pushing. If desired the straight poles or shafts may be replaced by shafts bent toward or even joined to each other (notshown), making it convenient for one operator .to move the apparatusto the position desired. I

, Connecting the header assembly with the axles 23 of the wheels are a pair of adjustable legs 24 permitting raising and lowering the header structure relative tothe filling openings of the drums. Each leg 24 consists of an upper tube 24a and a lower tube 24b telescoping into the upper tube, the upper tube 24a being secured to and depending from the header while the lower tube is secured to axle 23. The lower tube is provided with a longitudinal row of teeth 25'f0r co-operation with a spring-actuated dog or latch 26 pivotally mounted on upper tube 24a... With two operators, one at each'end of the header assemb1y,1 ea ch may support the header with one hand and depress the dog or latch 26 with the other hand and then lengthen therleg 24 by lifting, orshorten it bypermitting the header to move down, and re-engaging the latch with the desired tooth. The lower end of each tube 241) projects,

well below the axis of the wheel axle to which it is secured and has a counterweight 21 fixed thereon. a maintain the relatively lightweight header .assembly with the nozzles and the shafts in substantially the upright position shown in the drawings, although it may be preferred to decrease the masses of the counterweights to permit the shafts to lie at an acute angle of the horizontal.

With the drums or cans accurately lined up in regular rows, on a fioor or pavement adjacent the supply source, the two operators need only adjust the. header assembly to the desired height and then move the apparatus over the drums, stopping at each cross row and filling it and then stopping at the next cross row and filling it, and so on until all the drums are filled. Each nozzle will clear the tops of the drums when the header assembly is in normal position, but by lowering that assembly the nozzles are entered into the The two counterweights 21 serve to 

